Fenced in an institution, a quiet relentless struggle intensifies; a struggle of diminishing into a forced identity grounded on a stranger’s preconceived notion of what you represent. It breathes and strengthens, crippling you. A blanket of dread is hurled at you as you contemplate this invasion. While you persistently resent, the piercing gaze of those stereotypes devastates you.
Hidden Struggle
Painting on Silk with Oscillating Fans
51 x 40 inches
The struggle of being forced into one label is rendered in this work through manipulated traditional Indian patterns and imagery. The work disconnects from the wall to move and mimic a sense of constant strain with fans behind the frame, allowing the fabric to constantly move. While the piece seems intricate and vivid, there is an underlying falsehood which the viewer only realizes upon closer inspection. The imagery uses old and new patterns from my culture to showcase how through the Western lens they are still seen as one.
Bound Struggle
Painting on Silk with Motion Sensing Audio Player
24 x 36 inches
Stereotypes assume that everyone is the same and places an entire group into one box. By distorting the same figure multiple times and clumping them together, the piece serves as a reflection of this act. The frame represents the Western lens and binds this struggle. As the viewer comes near they can hear narrations of this experience from inside the painting.
Formed Struggle
Painting on Silk with Embroidery
30 x 30 inches
Stereotypes are an image of manipulation and misrepresentation which takes over and spreads across the group similar to an infection. The V & A Museum holds a large collection of Indian textiles, the acquisition and display of these objects furthers this exoticism. Through distorting these textiles, the piece showcase how their representation of these objects in the museum has distorted the original context and function over time.
Quiet Struggle
Painting on Silk
36 x 47 inches
A storm of chaos and confusion, the dense pattern creates a barrier while the figure longs to escape. Pushed into this chaos, all that is left now is the shadow of the face and arm.